Friday, April 13, 2012

Work A Day World

I just finished my 6 weeks training at the T-shirt warehouse as a part-time puller. I've made it almost all the way to "Puller Express". I enjoy it, but $120 a week only goes so far.

Well, it's 6 weeks of qualification, to be exact. They track precise numbers on accuracy and productivity. People are let go if they only rise to 99.6% accuracy or something like that. $9 an hour. Incentive for accuracy is +.65/hour. $2 cash bonus if you find a mill error. (Wrong size/color/item in factory sealed box) It could be worse. I could be sewing the shirts.

Yes, I can get you a job, but if you shamed me it would be forever. ;)

They state that the handling costs for correction of an order costs $85, which I think is not too exaggerated, considering 2 additional UPS charges, warehouse handling and CSR time.

Plus customer satisfaction. I interviewed with one of these screen printers. They keep no stock. They order 3 or 30 shirts or whatever in per order. They receive pre-separated artwork and work orders from promotions companies, and the churn gets started.

Nope, these are real production numbers or pretty close. I get a personalized spreadsheet printout everyday with production lines per hour and accuracy from the previous day. Each order is scanned out by each puller and checker. Some 200-300 orders per day, the bulk handled between close of business and 7 pm for the first UPS semi-truck. 2nd truck at 11.

Quite tidy, yet has a strong human team quality. "15 minutes to first truck." announcements. Some chitchat among the kids, but with 3 specs per order line qty/size/color-description, it requires some attention. Each garment tag is verified. That's once you find the location. About 20-30 workers starting at 4 pm - close. There is a small amount but really little room for gaming the system. Multiple-line orders with small quantities each improve your productivity, which is basically lines/hour. "Fast" product is located close to the dock.

Once training is complete and your accuracy is above the 99.79% (1 error a week), you become responsible for packing, closing and labelling boxes as well.

Some orders are one's and two's, Some are 5 cases.

The warehouse is really big:

64 aisles by 45 cross-aisles x 4-5 shelves per location x 5-6 boxes per shelf.
~71280 items
I would say it is about 10 acres.

I don't much like the website myself. Descriptions are catalog, not specific enough to screen printing industry. Should be more technical, that's who they are selling to.
Now please say something like "any dope can do screen printing".
Personally, I think the industry should develop a surface beta factor on smoothness and absorbency. but there are mill variations in product, uncontrollable at the minimal price I'm sure they are paying, enforceable only by the availability of alternative suppliers

He's applied for a new job, one more in line with his talents:

They did extensive digging on my background, employment, credit, criminal, drug testing. I got my reports today, and I feel dirty how clean I am.

Iowa Andy replies:

They do that here too! Yet there is someone who is pissing in all the conference rooms, literally. With all the security & cameras they can't catch 'em. No it isn't me.